Life-Long Learning Plus Essays

I have not posted in a while because I have not been teaching. Instead, I am a student at school. There is a lot of irony moving back and forth from teacher to student. I get to reflect on how I prefer to be taught as a student. I get to look around at my classmates and gauge their level of interest—Is the teacher reaching them? Is the teacher reaching me? What can be done differently?

It is challenging to be a good teacher. I haven't encountered a profession as difficult, as demanding, as important, nor as dynamic. So many minds to meet in so little time. That said, it is also challenging to be a good student. I don't mean obedient and quiet. I mean it can be difficult to focus on the value of learning, of completing a task; it can be difficult to force oneself to sit down on a sunny day and write an essay about life-altering events when all one wants to do is just do what one wants to do…laugh, walk, read, talk.

My greatest successes as a student have been achieved when I am actively involved in my education: actively listening, thoughtfully speaking, putting effort into my work. Still, sometimes I find it difficult to be a good student for it requires a lot of energy and focus, but mostly because the only one who it really affects is me. So, I look to the future and think what do I want to be, who do I want to be and how do I make it happen? After answering these questions I am left with two options. I must either win the lottery or get back to being a good student.

I am still marking essays.
8.8 papers have been marked and delivered.
8.5 papers have been marked, but not yet delivered.
8.7 and 8.6 papers are in the process of being marked.

An Ending

Tomorrow will be my last day as a student-teacher at Winona Senior Public School. I have learned so much over the past seven weeks. I have learned from my mentor Mrs. Cosburn and I have learned from all the students of 8.5, 8.6, 8.7 and 8.8. Thank you for offering your ideas in class, for asking questions and contributing to the learning process. Thank you for showing up physically and intellectually. I see a bright light before you all, a great future shining ahead — walk toward it proudly with your heads held high.

Bring in your items and paragraphs for Don't Show But Tell.

Until tomorrow and the next time.

On Tomorrow

The essays are in. You may all relax. Take some breaths...

Today we wrote letters to important people in our lives. Some wrote to grandparents, some to Santa Claus, some to themselves. We tried to follow Shelagh's example by spreading good will in our own personal way.

Tomorrow is Don't Show and Tell. Keep your items a secret. Keep them inexpensive and remember the rules. Write your paragraphs and have some fun.

8.8: more geography tomorrow on the factors of migration. Bring your folders to class.

See you all tomorrow.

We Talked About Shelagh

For the most part, we discussed the life of an ordinary Canadian women. We read out loud and shared some thoughts.

Tomorrow is a big day: essays are due in class. You have also been asked to bring in a piece of paper, lined or blank. It's your choice.

Still ahead: Don't Show and Tell and paragraph/s, a suggestion, and that is it for English...

8.8: Remember folders for Geography and we will continue our conversation on the push and pull factors of migration.

Enjoy the weather.

Final Week

Where to start?

We talked about March Break: ski trips, mountain goats, severed fingers, tornadoes, and much much more. We reviewed the Success Criteria and rubric for final copies of essays. Lastly, we looked at the week ahead and its homework.

The Success Criteria is now posted outside the classroom. It is also listed on one of the threads below titled 'March Break'. Come visit me tomorrow at lunch hour if you need help with your essays.

Homework/Assignments for the week:

1. Essays due Wednesday
2. Paragraph/s for Don't Show and Tell due Thursday (Wednesday for 8.7 as there is no English class
    Friday)
3. A suggestion for the suggestion box.

"Good writing is like a window pane" - George Orwell

See you tomorrow.

Space In Between: Video Biography

I thought I would add this. Some of the students in 8.8 thought it was interesting. It is a brief video biography of my life...extremely brief. The video was an assignment for university. We were given the task of introducing ourselves to the classroom in a matter of minutes using a new technology. So here it is, and here are some things about me and the places I have been.

Buenas Vacaciones!

March Break

You should all be in relax mode enjoying the first official day of March Break. Some questions have already been posted...take it easy, put school work on the shelf for a few days.

Nevertheless, the essay.

The expectations for March 21st, 2012 are:

1. An essay between 500 and 1000 words dealing with a current issue or subject of personal interest.
2. The essay should be typed using the Times New Roman 12' font and it should be Double-Spaced.
3. The essay should have a cool/informative title and your name below it.
4. The essay should have a thesis located toward the end of the Introduction.
5. The essay should have a clear structure: an Introduction, a Body of Arguments and a Conclusion.
6. For clarity, each paragraph should include a Topic Sentence and a Closing statement.
7. At the end of the essay, a Works Cited page should list all of your sources (minimum of FIVE)
    using MLA format. Also, use In-text citations when using quotations, statistics or paraphrases.

In addition:

a. Your final copy should have the word count located in brackets beside the title.
b. Have fun. Try your best to write about a subject you are interested in. This means the most.
    Write about a subject you want to learn more about or feel you can shed some light on.
c. If you are having trouble with MLA this website has every bit of information you will need:
    http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/01/
d. Refer to the handouts you received in class. Aside from some errors in grammar (see Introduction:
    thought-provoking, not though-provoking), they are informative and good guides for success.

Keep your questions coming and I will do my best to answer them.

Have an amazing break. Be safe and have fun.
   

Winding Down

The focus of our lesson today was punctuation: How to use commas, colons, quotations, and ellipses.
I hope your essays are going well. Rough copies will be checked tomorrow in all sections, but 8.5. For 8.5, introductions and first two arguments will be checked for completion.

The dead line for a poster submission is tomorrow! Tomorrow...tomorrow.......tomorrow. I want that to echo in the brains of those who may need to complete one.

Good luck writing. If you have questions place them in the comment box, and I will do my best to answer.

Have a good night.

Two Things

1. Essays - I hope you are all on your way, writing, arguing and feeling good. Students of each section (excluding 8.5) are expected to have their introductions, first and second arguments complete for tomorrow. 8.5, your introduction and first argument should be ready for our next English class - do your best, or close to it. If you are still having problems, scan the blog for answers or post your questions and I will try to help you out.

2. Final Submission - The last video for the 8.8 Stop Motion Film Project is complete. Check it out, and vote if you have not already. Who will win the Best Plasticine Stop Motion Film? Me, that's who.

Enjoy the warm weather.

Review of Past Lessons and Essay Structure

Today, we reviewed MLA Formatting and Thesis creation to increase understanding. Most sections examined essay structure and the expectations of a good introduction and body of arguments. The assignment going forward is to write a 750 word essay on a current issue of your choice. The essay must use MLA Formatting and a minimum of FIVE sources of information. Remember to establish a thesis.

Tomorrow, English class will function as an independent writing period. You will be given most of the period to work on your draft, which is due Friday. Please come prepared to research and write.

"The introduction serves as a transition by moving the reader from the world outside of your paper to the world within", that is from the issue to your ideas on the issue (The Allyn & Bacon Handbook 151).

And the Oscar Goes to...

I have uploaded the videos from the 8.8 Plasticine Stop Motion Film Project. Let the voting begin:

Who will take home the award for Best Plasticine Stop Motion Film of 2013. 

You decide.

(Vote by placing a number in the comment box, plus a comment for the producers of the film. Number 1 is the first video and number 6 is the last. Choose 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 or 6.)

Thesis, MLA and Friends

On Friday, we reviewed how to create a thesis - a single declarative sentence. I presented various strategies to aid in creating a thesis and to build supporting arguments. The assignment this weekend is to:

1. Create a thesis based on a current issue of personal interest
2. Outline THREE arguments to support your thesis
3. Cite THREE references in MLA to be used in your upcoming paper

If you are having difficulty creating a thesis then try this process:

1. Choose a topic
2. Ask yourself questions regarding this topic
3. Try your best to answer these questions
4. Review your work and try to summarize your opinion
    in a single, clear sentence.

If you need further help, submit questions or comments here.
Remember, Monday we will review your theses.
Do your best, but do not stress.

Have a good weekend. 

Civil Disobedience

Today, we argued...about current issues. All sections debated topics chosen from a list of thesis-like statements. Students supported a Yes or No position by using examples, counter-arguments, logic, emotion and previous knowledge. Each debater attempted to frame their argument with an opening and closing statement. The goal of the activity was to mimic the essay writing process: a thesis/a statement/a claim supported with well-formed arguments.

The assignment going forward for all sections is to create a thesis statement based on a current issue of personal significance, to outline three supporting arguments for the thesis and source three references in MLA which will be used to back up the thesis.

See most of you tomorrow.
And good luck.

Questions? Clarifications?  

Leap Day

Today, Jennie and Che from the Child Development Institute came through and reviewed mental health illnesses. They answered questions and dispelled myths. They provided information to create a more complete picture of the issues we have discussed in class. I hope most of you found their presentation helpful, and remember to continue the dialogue beyond the classroom. This is an important issue, a human issue, a personal issue, not just a school issue.

If you have any thoughts or comments in response to their presentation/discussion, or just on the mental health unit in general, please feel free to leave them here.

Hasta la proxima.

The Second

I really enjoyed today. The discussions were great. We talked about originality and shared examples of original ideas. I think Tyler's idea from 8.6 took the prize - a possible money maker in the future. We discussed plagiarism and how to avoid it by using MLA formatting.

Each student now has a sheet that outlines how to use MLA. Please keep it. Keep it. It will be of use moving forward into this new unit.

More videos have been completed and watched in 8.8. They all deserve Oscar's nominations for Best Plasticine Stop Motion Drama Under 30 Seconds. Tonight, I will complete two more soundtracks. Groups who finished their Stop Motion Plasticine Extravaganza investigated Pablo Picasso's Guernica. We explored some of its more secretive images. Our next class, we will review these images again, together. We will discuss the artwork and its effectiveness in dealing with the issue of war, and then create artworks of our own that deal with a current or historical issue of importance. Think abstract and collage.

Tomorrow our two guest speakers arrive.

And all is well.

The First

You asked for it, now here it is. I will do my best to keep assignments and activities posted and up-to-date. As of now, we are at the tail end of our mental health unit. Two student group presentations remain: one in 8.8 and one in 8.7.

We have two guests speakers coming in on Wednesday from the Child Development Institute who will review the ideas we have discussed over the last couple of weeks - mental health issues. Their names are Jennie and Che.

Going forward, our next unit will focus on current issues and essay writing. We will be learning how to reference using MLA format. We will have an organized debate, then a lesson on thesis construction.

Let the good times roll.